The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-04-09
the lM1ERs1At Law.


/ IuuSV, W AAsy AAsAAAWs OO AOVAVO uROI
from two points of view by those
responsible for the management ol
every railroad affected by it. Ir
the first place, we have to remem
Der that We represent corporations
the creatures of the state, and, al
such, subject to the laws of the
state. In the second place, We
must, if we can, give to the various
provisions of the act some inter.
pretation at once consistent and
ineligible. Looked at from the
first point of view, l have no hest.
tation in saying that above all else
it is for the interest of the compa.
nies to give to this law, as to every
other law, a full, fair and honest
trial. Either the law is in it's pro-
visions a good law or it is not
a good law. My own private inn
preston is that it will be found to
be like most mortal things, a mix
ture of good and bad. But even
supposing it to be wholly bad, there
is an old adage to which l remem-
Der Gen. Grant gave great currency
a few years ago, to the effect that
the best way to repeal a bad law is
to execute it. So it should be with
the interstate commerce bill. II
the law is a bad law, the railroad
companies should live up to it and
cause its badness to appear. Not
that l would suggest for moment
that they should GO about to make
the law 0dious through an unfair
enforcement Ofits provisions. They
could, to my mind, pursue no
course marked by greater unwis-
dom. On the contrary, the first
duty incumbent upon them is not
to evade the law or to seek to bring
its provisions to naught.
TIE PRACTICAL WORKING.
We all know what was in the
minds Of those who passed the
measure. 1t was the outcome of a
public discussion which now runs
back for more than twenty years.
1t first began directly after the war
of the rebellion came to a close. and
from that day to this there has been
no time when it has not been one
of the leading topics Of public de-
bate. We all, therefore, know the
historical development of these pro-
visions. Such being the case, VIC
have no right to endeavor to con-
struc them away. We know what
the legislatures meant, and the act
should be interpreted in the light
of this knowledge. Speaking, there
fore, for myself, l will say at once
that the order given, both to the
legal and to the operating depart
ments Of the Union Pacific, has
been that fair, honest, intelligent,
and reasonable expression should
be given to every provision of the
interstate commerce act; that it
should be fully and fairly carried
into effect and the results left to
speak for themselves. And this, it
seems to me, should be the posi-
ton of all the railroads in the
country. Any attempt to evade
the law would also be as mistaken
as would be any attempt to make
its provisions unnecessarily odious.
The next question relates to the
practical working of the law. AS
respects this l find myself some
what peculiarly placed, and | must
crave your indulgence for a few
moments while l say a word Of my
self and my own record. AS many
of you know, l have been on both
sides of this discussion. Ten OF
the best and most active and work
ing years of my life | passed as a
railroad commissioner of Massa-
chusetts. l myself framed many
of the provisions, the familiar work
ings of which l now recognize in
the interstate commerce act. For
the last few years l have been on
the other side of the question, di-
rectly representing and responsible
for one Of the large railroad corpo-
rations of the country. 1t has often
been alleged and not infrequently
flung in my face that my views and
record rs a railroad commissioner
are very different from my views
and record ~ railroad president
This emphatically deny. The
charge is made by those who are
always ready to avail themselves of
a ready and easy sneer, but who
are usually, and in this case totally
ignorant of the fact of which they
qliblv talk. Since / have been
railroad president l have seen nc
cause to revise in any essential re-
spect the views / expressed as 9
railroad commissioner. My record
on this subject is q talerably open
one. / challenge any one to con-
front me with it. For many years
now l have been more or less con
versant with the method of con
ducting railroad business. am nc
more familiar with it since have
become . railroad president than